The WPIAL announced last week the new conference alignments and schedules for the next two high school football seasons.
Quaker Valley is moving to Class 2A as a member of the Century Conference, which will have four new teams. QV and McGuffey are moving down from 3A while Bishop Canevin and Chartiers-Houston will move up from A, replacing Charleroi, Sto-Rox, Washington and Waynesburg.
“I’m excited to see what the move to Class 2A will do for our squad,” QV coach Tom Eshenbaugh said. “I believe this realignment will allow us to compete against teams with similar roster sizes, though the level of competition remains high.
“We have been on the bubble during the last few cycles and were typically on the lower end of the 3A scale. While I knew our specific enrollment numbers, we didn’t know exactly where the cutoff would be this time around.”
For the next two years, the Century Conference will consist of Bishop Canevin, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, Quaker Valley and Seton LaSalle.
“We are sharing a conference with last year’s WPIAL champion, Seton LaSalle, and Bishop Canevin, which has historically had great success at the A level,” Eshenbaugh said. “Keystone Oaks and McGuffey were both on our schedule last year, so they will be familiar opponents.
“While we haven’t played Carlynton recently, their head coach, John Tortorea, was the head coach at Quaker Valley until 2017.”
QV started out 2-0 and 3-2 in 2025 with nonconference victories against Freedom, 38-20, Keystone Oaks, 20-13, and Valley, 29-20. The Quakers shut out McGuffey, 21-0, in their season finale on the Highlanders’ home turf.
QV snapped a four-game losing streak to finish 4-6 overall and 1-5 in the Class 3A Western Hills Conference.
“My early expectations for the 2026 season are very positive,” Eshenbaugh said. “The energy around the team has been great, and we are returning several key players alongside some fresh faces who will contribute to our success.
“The boys have been working hard in the weight room, and I’m confident that effort will transfer to the field this fall.”
Volleyball realignment
The WPIAL also released the new section alignment and schedules for the 2026 and 2027 girls volleyball seasons.
Quaker Valley competed in Section 1-2A last year along with Aliquippa, Avonworth, Freedom, Hopewell, New Brighton, Northgate and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
The Quakers are moving to Section 2-3A next season, joining Avonworth, Beaver Falls, Hopewell, Mohawk and Riverside.
“I kind of knew last year that we would be moving up. We were one of the bigger 2A schools, so it was expected,” QV coach Mike Vavrek said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to play in Section 2-3A for the next two years. I think it will be a very tough, competitive section.”
QV finished in fourth place at 8-6 in Section 1-2A last year behind Hopewell (13-1), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (12-2) and Avonworth (11-3).
“Of course, I am very familiar with Hopewell and Avonworth. They have been in our section for a few years now,” Vavrek said. “We are very excited to play them every year. The other teams, Riverside, Mohawk, Ellwood City and Beaver Falls, are a little newer and we do not play much. But I have been around for a while and I know enough.”
QV’s veteran coach said the Quakers’ new 2026 opponents all seem to be improving every year.
“We played Ellwood City two years ago in the playoffs, and they were a pretty good team,” Vavrek said. “Mohawk and Riverside were both playoff teams from 2A last year.
“We played Beaver Falls and Riverside in a JV tournament last year and had some pretty fun, competitive games. It should be fun.”
As the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions, the Quakers in 2025 advanced to the district playoffs for a fourth consecutive season and finished 9-11 overall. QV received the No. 15 seed for the playoffs where it lost a first-round decision to No. 2 Waynesburg.
“Well, very early expectations, we expect to build on the experience that a lot of our girls received as varsity players last year,” Vavrek said. “I think we will be a little more experienced to start the year than we were last year.
“Last year, we had three girls who really had varsity experience return from the WPIAL championship team. This year, we will have seven who played a good amount of varsity last year. We also have a pretty good incoming ninth grade class coming into the high school to add to the competition in our gym every day.”
There are 124 WPIAL schools scheduled to compete in the 2026 and 2027 girls volleyball seasons, up two from the 122 schools the last two fall seasons.
Sewickley Academy has added a girls volleyball program and Calvary Chapel, a small private school in Brownsville, is new to the district.
“I am extremely excited for our girls volleyball team to begin WPIAL play,” said Mike Scerbo, Sewickley’s director of athletics. “With 17 girls coming out for the sport, most of which were underclassmen, we have a tremendous roster for our section.
“Based on our results from last year and the excellent leadership from our coaching staff, I have a feeling we will make continued progress from last year.”
The Panthers will be a member of Section 1-A along with Beaver County Christian, Bishop Canevin, Cornell, Eden Christian Academy, Rochester, Union and Western Beaver.